


Red String (Blue Fire)

by MaddyIsVeryTired



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, How Do I Tag, Red String of Fate, Underage Kissing, azula is a softie, but only for Ty Lee, sometimes, super angsty in later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:01:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25268770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddyIsVeryTired/pseuds/MaddyIsVeryTired
Summary: Follows Ty Lee through the years as she discovers what the red string around her finger really means, and why it always seems to lead back to Azula.Azula also does some discovering, but only after reflecting on herself and her relationship with Ty Lee.
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 43
Kudos: 284





	1. One string (a billion and one questions)

Ty Lee doesn't know a lot of things.   
  
She knows how to do cartwheels and handstands, how to do flips and spins and rolls.  
  
She knows how to braid her hair, how to stand out from her sisters.   
  
She knows how to read auras.   
  
Really, she could count all those things on both hands.   
  
But what Ty lee doesn't know, what Ty Lee wishes she knew, is why there was a red string wrapped securely around her left pinky finger. Ty Lee would often find herself staring at her hands when it came to the string, unsure about where it had come from and where, exactly, that it went. It was so long! Some nights, if Ty Lee were to stay up and watch the string, she could see it move. She could watch as it tightened, almost as if pulling Ty Lee to follow wherever it lead, and she could watch it dance. 

Ty Lee liked watching the string dance. 

It moved with a practiced ease, going up and down, left and right. Some nights it was fast and frantic, lashing out like an animal in a cage, but the routine of the movements never went off course. It was the same steps, the same directions and moves, but faster and harder and so very, very intense. 

Some nights it was slow and beautiful, like tree branches swaying with the direction of the wind. Ty Lee liked those nights more. While the aggressive dances were always nice to watch, so very interesting and beautiful in their own way, the slow and careful dances had a certain appeal to them that aggression just couldn't beat. 

One night, after the dancing was done (it was a slow dance and Ty Lee didn't want to interrupt), Ty Lee pulled on the string. It wasn't a harsh pull, but one born out of curiosity. 

The String didn't seem to notice, not even as Ty Lee watched and carefully gave another tug, so she eventually turned over on her bed and tried to fall asleep. _Maybe the string didn't like that, maybe she had broken some kind of unspoken rule, maybe the string just didn't feel it--_

Ty Lee's thoughts were cut off by whatever was on the other end of the string pulling back. 

Ty Lee smiled when she went to sleep that night. 

* * *

Ty Lee was intrigued by Azula. 

Maybe, if she were being honest with herself for a moment, she was positively infatuated. 

The princess was beautiful. Ty Lee loved everything about her. 

She loved the way Azula's eyes looked in the sunlight, shimmering boldly like a molten pond of gold. Ty Lee would often stare into those eyes from the sidelines, knowing well and true that her actions would only ever result in Azula turning towards her with a raised brow and a sneer, or ignoring them entirely. Ty Lee preferred the sneer. She could see Azula's eyes better when they were focused pointedly on her, filled with such cruel mirth that Ty Lee was almost positive that, if Azula wished it, she could engulf Ty Lee in flames with nothing more than a blink. ~~Would it be so bad to burn?~~

She loved Azula's hair. It was as black as the night on a new moon, and so very soft. Ty Lee loved it when Azula would ask to have her hair put up, or braided, or even let down. Ty Lee was careful when it came to doing Azula's hair, though the process always took longer than it had any right to. Maybe Azula didn't care -- she never spoke up about how long it took -- or maybe she liked it as much as Ty Lee. 

She loved how her red string connected with Azula. The first time she noticed it, Ty Lee was young and had only just met the princess. It became her personal goal to befriend the princess from that point on. Though, even if she hadn't noticed the red string, this would have been her goal all the same. Azula was cold to Ty Lee at first, making fun of her and choosing to shy away from her offers to play or talk. It was only after Ty Lee met a small boy, the name of which escapes her at the moment, that Azula began to finally warm up to the idea of a friendship. The boy Ty Lee had met was quickly forgotten after that. 

Sometimes, while they were sitting down at lunch or walking around the courtyard, Ty Lee would give a small pull to her string and watch for Azula's reaction. Azula never really seemed to notice, which always lead to Ty Lee becoming incredibly saddened for the rest of the day. 

But one day, while out in the courtyard, Ty Lee pulled on the string a bit harder than she intended to. Azula noticed this time, as the pull caused her to almost lose her footing and fall backwards. Catching her balance with a quick turn of the foot that lead to an impressive flip, Azula would waste little time in gathering her dignity and turning towards the cause of what had just happened. Ty Lee. 

Checking that no-one was nearby, Azula would take a dangerous step closer to Ty Lee. Ty Lee was frozen with fear, her fingers still locked tightly around the string on her pinky. 

Noticing this, Azula would raise her brows and reach over, grabbing hold of Ty Lee's end of the string. 

"Ty Lee," Azula began, her eyes locking onto the terrified girl's face. She was incredibly calm -- and that only seemed to add to Ty Lee's fears of what was to come. "Did you pull this?" 

Ty Lee stammered for a reply, her eyes averting to the side nervously. "What do you mean, Azula?" 

"I mean," Azula rubbed the string between her thumb and index finger. "Exactly what I just said. Did you pull this?" 

Ty Lee risked looking back at Azula. Her heart thrummed wildly in her chest at the sight of the princess staring so intensely at her. ~~Ty Lee would give anything to keep Azula staring.~~

"Er, yes?" Ty Lee answered, her voice rising in the end and making it sound like a question. 

"Why?" 

Ty Lee was sweating now. She could feel a bead of sweat run down her forehead, past her incredibly red cheeks, and drop off her jaw and onto the ground below. She opened her mouth to speak, to come up with some brazen excuse or incredibly stupid lie, but was cut off before a single utterance left her mouth. 

"A rhetorical question, Ty Lee. Do not answer. And," Azula tugged the string harshly, pulling Ty Lee ever closer to her. Ty Lee could do little more than gasp in surprise and catch herself before she landed on the princess. "Do not pull so hard next time. I don't take kindly to my friends pulling me about in public. Do we understand each other?" 

"Yes, Azula. It won't happen again, Azula." 

"See that it doesn't. I won't be half as merciful next time." 

~~Promise?~~

* * *

They were older now, just on the cusps of becoming teenagers. Ty Lee knew more about the string, but not much. She knew that it was wrapped around Azula's finger, that Azula could see the string and interact with it, and that it was very, very important. If Azula hadn't been keeping her so busy, Ty Lee would have been reading about the string in the library, or trying to find out more by talking to her parents. 

Outside the Fire Nation walls, there was a war going on. Azula was positively enthralled by the war, wanting desperately to becoming stronger than she already was, to train her body into a deadly weapon of war in the hopes that her father may send her out to fight and -- if Azula were to be believed -- to win. Ty Lee believed Azula could win the war. Ty Lee believed Azula could do anything. 

But while Azula trained, she demanded her friends train as well. Benders or not, Mai and Ty Lee would become just as powerful as her, or if such a thing could not be accomplished, as close as possible to her power. Mai practiced with her knives, throwing them with deadly precision and ruining more than a few dummies with up-close combat. 

Ty Lee practiced with her full body, much like Azula. She turned her fun cartwheels into invasive maneuvers, flips and handstands into evasive tactics and, eventually, easy maneuvers for chi blocking purposes. 

One day, while Mai was out doing her own thing and it was just Azula and Ty Lee, Azula called for a full stop. Ty Lee had been practicing her chi blocking techniques on a dummy, but quickly stopped to turn her complete attention onto Azula. 

"Ty Lee," Azula called, tightening the bun in her hair. "Come with me." 

Without another word, Azula turned from her friend and began to walk away. Ty Lee hurried after her, stopping only once she was at Azula's side. ~~Obedient as always.~~

"Where are we going?" Ty Lee asked after a few minutes of following Azula around the palace grounds. They had taken several turns, going into what appeared to be some kind of overgrown garden.  
  
"I want to be away from any prying eyes. This place is safe, as the guards don't see the point in setting up watch stations where we don't normally go." Azula answered. 

"What are we doing, then?" Ty Lee peered at the overhanging branches and the overgrown weeds. If she were to squint, there was some real beauty to be seen here. 

Azula didn't answer her this time. Instead, Azula stopped walking and stood facing a tree. The trunk of the tree was caved in, having grown wrapped around an incredibly dilapidated statue of...something. Ty Lee couldn't distinguish what the statue had originally been, as moss had covered a majority of the details and the rest had either fallen off over time or become weather-worn. 

Finally, Azula turned to look at Ty Lee. Her face was neutral, revealing nothing. 

"Azul--" Ty Lee was cut off by Azula's hand surging forward and grabbing hold of Ty Lee's. 

"This," Azula said, grabbing hold of Ty Lee's string. "Why is it here?" 

Ty Lee licked her lips, thinking of an answer. Finding nothing, she simply shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I've always had it." 

"Why is it connected to me?" Azula asked, turning her own hand over to examine the string tied around her pinky. 

"I don't know." Ty Lee answered again. 

Azula bit at her bottom lip, her brows furrowing in annoyance. 

"You're distracting me." 

Ty Lee couldn't help but giggle, causing Azula's golden eyes to shoot up and stare in confusion. 

"'Zula, I'm not doing anything." Ty Lee said, smiling. 

"Not now," Azula began, regaining some of her usual confidence. It made Ty Lee feel more at ease. "But you do. When we train." 

"How?" Ty Lee dared to ask. Azula didn't grow angry at the question. 

"With your tricks." Azula answered, almost sounding bitter. 

"My tricks? I don't have any tricks, Azula." 

"Your flips and your handstands," Azula's voice rose, only to be quickly forced back down to a more leveled tone. "It's all very distracting." 

Ty Lee took a small step closer to her friend, peering down at her. 

"How?" She asked again. 

"The string. It pulls and it bunches and it distracts me to no end. How am I train when you move so often, begging for my attention?" 

"Does it annoy you?" Ty Lee continued to stare. Azula stared right back. 

She was silent far longer than what was needed. Perhaps she was thinking, perhaps she was contemplating how to burn Ty Lee on the spot for being so bold. Ty Lee waited for an answer, only to be met with Azula turning her attention back to the tree. 

After awhile, Azula reached out and touched the trunk. A bit of the bark fell away at her touch, causing Azula to scrunch up her nose in distaste and pull away. 

Finally, she said, "No." 

"Then why do you complain?" Ty Lee fidgeted with her string, picking at it. Where did she gain so much confidence? Why hadn't Azula exploded yet? 

"Because I don't know what to do." 

Azula's shoulders sagged, as if suddenly burdened by some unbearable weight. Closing her eyes, the princess would tilt her head up, soaking up the broken rays of sunlight that pierced through the overhanging tree branches. 

"I don't know what to feel about you, about this string. And I hate not knowing." 

With a soft exhale from her nose, Azula would let her head fall back down and her eyes to reopen. The gold that Ty Lee loved so much pierced through her, causing the would-be acrobat to blush and turn her own gaze away. 

"I'm sorr--" 

Suddenly, Ty Lee was cut off by a pair of lips on her own. Shocked, Ty Lee froze up on the spot and couldn't bring herself to reciprocate, causing Azula to quickly break off the kiss and pull away. 

"That was stupid. What would father say? Agni, I'll never recover from this if anyone finds out!" Azula was panicking, her hands wringing out at her sides. 

Finally able to wrap her head around what just happened, Ty Lee pulled her boldest move yet. Reaching out, the acrobat would gently cusp Azula's cheek in her hand, causing the princess to pause and stare up at her friend. Leaning down, Ty Lee would press her lips to Azula's, kissing the princess. 

Azula's lips tasted of smoke and warmed up Ty Lee's as if her face was pressed close to fire. ~~She would do anything to burn.~~ But Ty Lee couldn't bring herself to mind. It was Azula, and Azula was perfect. Rubbing her thumb against Azula's cheek, Ty Lee would press her body closer to the princess, deepening their liplock and expressing her childhood passions as best she could. She had never kissed someone before, she had only heard about it from her sisters and their stupid romance novels. 

Azula was no better than Ty Lee. For once, Azula allowed someone else to take control. Her hands, which had been wringing nervously at her side, now wrapped loosely around Ty Lee's waste, keeping her close. Keeping her there. 

But eventually, the kiss had to come to an end. Air was a need, not a want. 

Resting her forehead against Azula's, Ty Lee would let slip a small smile as she caught her breath. 

"That was-" Ty Lee began. 

"-Amazing." Azula finished, smiling herself. A genuine smile. It made Ty Lee's heart soar. 

Pulling back just enough to look down, Ty Lee would raise a brow at what had become of the red string. Somehow, though Ty Lee couldn't recall Azula or herself making a lot of movement for such a thing to happen, the string had wrapped around both of them.


	2. A princess comes to the circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *sniff*  
> *snifffff*  
> angst?  
> or ..  
> *Sniiiiiiifffff*  
> longing?

The circus was nice. 

After leaving the Fire Nation, the circus had become Ty Lee's home. She had friends there, had an audience that couldn't stop watching her every move, and she was appreciated. She was a unique piece, something that a crowd of people could focus on with baited breath; watching as she did spins in the air, as she balanced precariously on a tightrope, as she mesmerized and astounded. The ringmaster had often told her after shows that she was the reason so many people came, that so many continued to come. Ty Lee thought it was a nice sentiment. 

Then Azula came. 

"Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?" 

Ty Lee perked up immediately, thanking the spirits that she hadn't lost her balance at the surprise visit of her childhood friend. ~~Or were they more back then?~~ She had been balancing her entire weight on her index fingers, a masterful trick that she had learned to handle with ease but still practiced thoroughly. It was essential in most of her performances, so it wouldn't do to get rusty. 

"Azula!" Ty Lee completed the move by letting down her right leg first and then using the momentum to stand. She completed the action with a small spin once she was upright -- a little flair never hurt anyone -- before finishing with a bow fit for Azula's royal status. She kept this position for a respectable time before standing and rushing over to Azula, enveloping the princess in a warm hug. "It is so good to see you!" 

Ty Lee positively beamed with happiness upon feeling Azula's arms wrap loosely around her, returning the hug. Not wanting to make a scene, even though her heart yearned to keep touching the princess, Ty Lee pulled away. ~~She didn't fail to notice how Azula managed to capture her hands, holding onto them for a brief time.~~

"Please, don't let me interrupt your-" Azula paused. "-Whatever it is you were doing." 

Ty Lee grinned, unable to resist doing so when in front of Azula. It had been so long since they last saw each other. The performer rolled backwards, quickly assuming a position on the ground that helped with flexibility. Her belly was to the ground, her left leg sticking straight up in the air while her right was planted next to her face. Ty Lee kept her eyes trained on Azula. 

"Tell me," Azula began, watching Ty Lee's every move with distant interest. "What is the daughter of a nobleman doing here?" 

Azula let slip a smile. ~~When was the last time Ty Lee had seen that smile?~~

"Certainly our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up in places like this." Her tone held visible disgust as Azula watched some nearby workers try to move a platypus bear. She cringed at seeing the bear produce a fresh egg. 

"I have a proposition for you."

Ty Lee, who had been watching the bear upon noticing Azula's eyes shift over, looked back up at her friend. Her smile faded in favor of a serious look as she listened to what Azula had to say. 

"I'm hunting a traitor," Azula lifted up her hand, checking her fingernails as she spoke. "You remember my old fuddy-duddy uncle, don't you?" 

"Oh, yeah. He was so funny." Ty Lee's smile returned at the memory of Iroh. 

"I would be honored if you would join me on my mission." Azula continued, her gaze returning to Ty Lee. 

"Oh, I, uh- would love to," Ty Lee responded, getting to her feet with the use of a handstand. "But the truth is...I'm really happy here. I mean, my aura has never been pinker."

Azula held out her hand, as if physically stopping Ty Lee's words of explanation. 

"I'll take your word for it," She let out a soft sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me." 

Ty Lee couldn't help opening her mouth in surprise, creating a small 'o' shape. She quickly closed her mouth, giving Azula a small grin. 

"Thank you, Azula." 

Azula didn't bother to respond. Instead, the princess turned on her heel and began to walk away, causing Ty Lee to turn and take up a different position. Ty Lee extended her left left leg straight into the air, letting her palm rest openly against it. She almost hummed in delight at Azula's understanding. 

"Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show." 

Ty Lee audibly gasped, her leg bending in her surprise. 

"Uh, yeah, sure. Of course."

As she allowed her leg to straighten once more, Ty Lee couldn't help but feel uneasy at Azula's final words. 

* * *

Ty Lee was in her changing room when Azula came in. The princess tossed a bouquet of flowers from where she stood, causing Ty Lee to look up and acknowledge the princess. 

"What an exquisite performance. I can't wait to see how you'll top yourself tomorrow." 

Ty Lee turned her attention back onto her mirror, staring at her reflection with sad eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Azula," Ty Lee forced a smile, keeping her eyes firmly locked onto her own reflection. Azula had gotten closer, almost enough to reach out and touch Ty Lee if she wished. "But unfortunately there won't be a show tomorrow." 

Azula smiled wickedly at the news, her golden eyes shimmering like fire in the light. 

"Really?" 

Exhaling softly through her nose, Ty Lee would stand and remove the headpiece she had worn for the show -- the final piece of her costume, a costume she would never see again -- and hang it on a hook above her mirror. 

"The universe is giving me strong hints that it's time for a career change." 

The hints she mentioned weren't from the universe. Ty Lee knew better than to be so naive. The show had involved her safety net being set on fire, as well as a plethora of animals being released on the ground below. Ty Lee remembered being terrified in that instance, far from her usual happiness in performing for an audience. If Ty Lee were being honest, Azula had caused those things to happen. She was the princess. ~~She could have anything.~~

Ty Lee turned around, facing the clearly smug Azula. 

"I want to join you on your mission." 

* * *

They sat together in front of a campfire, their tents up and waiting to be used for the night. Well, minus Mai's tent. Mai had gone to bed early that night, it had been a busy day and she really couldn't be bothered to stay up. Their chase after the avatar had resulted in failure. 

It was just Ty Lee and Azula. 

Ty Lee and Azula -- together again. ~~When was the last time she had picked at her string? Had given it a tug and hoped for a response back? When did the string, Azula, stop responding?~~

Ty Lee shook her head lightly, hoping that the action would keep such thoughts away. It didn't. It never did. 

_"But why go, Ty Lee?" Azula asked, trying to sound like the news hadn't gotten to her at all. The question alone would've been enough for anyone to see that it had gotten to her, but the soft break in Azula's voice- the subtle shift of confidence into something Ty Lee was too afraid to name- was really the tipping point._

_They were standing together under the twisted tree with the ruined statue. The same tree they shared their first kiss at, the same tree they came to whenever they had the chance to be alone. This was their safe space. This was were they could whisper sweet secrets together, where they could hold hands and talk about what awaited them in the future. Ty Lee even taught Azula how to do a cartwheel here. It was a special spot that held special memories._

_Ty Lee reached out, taking Azula's hands in her own._

_"I need to do this, 'Zula. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I feel like the universe is telling me that now is the only chance I'll get." Was Ty Lee's answer._

_Azula bit her bottom lip and tightly closed her eyes. Ty Lee could feel Azula's hands shaking as she held them. Azula pulled Ty Lee close, burying her face into Ty Lee's neck. Her body shuddered as she gave a few silent sobs._

_Ty Lee could feel something wet against her neck. She didn't ask what it was, she already knew the answer._

_Instead, she held onto Azula, rubbing small circles into her friend's back._

She did tug on the string. Before a big show, she would give the string around her pinky a small tug. Perhaps it was a warning of what was to come in the next few moments, of the distraction she could potentially cause for Azula -- Azula who was so far away, Azula who couldn't be bothered to listen and still end up tripping in the hallways or courtyard of her home -- while performing. Azula caught on eventually. When Ty Lee gave a warning tug, Azula would tug back a moment later. Ty Lee always performed better on those days. 

_Ty Lee was outside the tent now. It was a big show, perhaps the biggest of the season, and her nerves were beginning to get the best of her. Taking a deep breath, Ty Lee gave the red string around her pinky a firm tug._

_If anyone could make Ty Lee feel better, it was Azula. It didn't matter that Azula was miles away, the string connected them together no matter the distance. Azula would always be there. At least, that's what Ty Lee told herself as she waited for the usual tug back._

_And waited._

_And waited some more._

_Suddenly, her fellow performer nudged her on the shoulder, a clear gesture to move on and enter already. Their performance was about to start. Ty Lee couldn't wait around forever!_

_But she did. She waited even as she performed, going through the show without her usual smile. With every flip, every swing around the rope, every trick of the trade she could think of to entertain the roaring audience below her, Ty Lee waited for one thing. A tug on her string._

_But none came._

_None came during the show._

_None came after._

_And none came the next morning._

_For the next week, Ty Lee felt hollow inside and couldn't bring herself to perform with her usual gusto and passion._

_She refused to tug on the string after that. She knew no answer would come._

_Azula had stopped responding. And Ty Lee was left alone._

Ty Lee shuddered at the memory, causing Azula to look up from the fire and stare. 

"Something wrong, Ty Lee?" 

Ty Lee shook her head, giving her friend a reassuring smile. "Oh, no. Nothing at all. I'm just, er, cold." 

Azula tilted her head, her golden eyes scrutinizing her friend. With a small huff, Azula would rise from her spot around the fire and make her way over to Ty Lee's side. She sat down next to the acrobat, close enough that their thighs touched together and their string began to tangle. Ty Lee could feel a small blush rising on her cheeks, causing her to duck her head. 

Azula was the first to break the silence between them. 

"Is this better? I hope you don't mind." 

_They were under the tree. It was a calm summer evening and a nice breeze had started. Azula was sitting in the grass, her back pressed against the decaying bark, watching as Ty Lee tried to perfect a handstand on just her index fingers for the umpteenth time. Azula watched with mildly amused eyes as her friend fell backwards, landing on her back with a small noise of disappointment._

_"Ty Lee," Azula called, catching Ty Lee's attention. "Come join me. I think that's enough handstands for one day. Unless, of course, you want all your blood in your head."_

_Ty Lee pouted at the comment, but complied with Azula's request. Sitting down beside her friend, Ty Lee would waste little time in grabbing hold of Azula's hand and leaning her head on Azula's shoulder._

_"I hope you don't mind, 'Zula," Ty Lee smiled, pressing her body closer into Azula's side. "But you're just so warm! I couldn't help it."_

_Azula was silent. If Ty Lee were to look up, she would bare witness to a rare sight indeed. The princess was blushing._

_"Of course not, Ty Lee. You may do as you wish."_

_"What if I wished to kiss you?" Ty Lee asked, a blush spreading across her own cheeks._

_"I don't enjoy repeating myself, Ty Lee."_

_Ty Lee giggled, the sound almost melodic._

"Yes, thank you." 

The fire crackled softly in front of them. It was night, not evening, but there was a nice breeze. If Ty Lee had her childhood bravery, she would cuddle up to Azula like she did back then. She would hold Azula's hand, would ask to kiss her. ~~It had been so long since she felt Azula's lips against her own.~~

"Of course. But," Azula paused, causing Ty Lee to straighten up at attention. Her grey eyes traced over Azula's face. "If you wish me closer, just ask." 

They were already so close. 

Was this one of Azula's games? 

"Azula?" Ty Lee's voice almost wavered with her emotion. She had butterflies in her tummy, fluttering about and causing her heart to hammer mercilessly against her ribs. 

"Yes, Ty Lee?" Azula faced the acrobat now. 

"I- Er, I wouldn't be opposed-" Ty Lee chuckled nervously. "-To you being closer." 

"Very well." 

Azula shifted closer to Ty Lee before wrapping a muscular arm around her. 

Was this even real? 

"Better?" Azula asked, her voice low in Ty Lee's ear. 

"Almost. I can only think of one more thing-" Ty Lee stopped herself, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth. 

Azula watched with a raised brow. Tightening her hold around the acrobat, she would ask, 

"Well?" 

Ty Lee forced her hands away, letting them land in her lap. They bunched up, tugging at the cloth of her pants. 

"It's stupid. I wasn't thinking." 

"Ty Lee." Azula's voice held the undertones of a warning. 

Taking a deep breath, she would meet Azula's eyes. It was now or never. 

"A kiss. I would like a kiss." 

Azula allowed a small smile to cross her features at the words. Removing her arm from around Ty Lee's shoulders, Azula would instead gently push the acrobat onto the ground. Ty Lee reached out for Azula, only to have her hands pushed above her head and held there with a grip that brooked no argument. Azula's golden eyes blazed dangerously as they stared down at Ty Lee. 

Just when Ty Lee was about to speak, to ask what exactly Azula was planning, Azula planted her lips firmly against Ty Lee's. All thoughts of speaking immediately left Ty Lee's mind after that, replaced with the craving for more. The butterflies in her tummy had erupted into something more, leaving a trail of warmth that ended at her nether region. 

Azula's lips still tasted like smoke. They were warm, but had cooled when compared to their first kisses as children. It no longer felt like pressing her lips to that of a blazing fire, but instead felt like the wonderful sensation of coming home after being stuck in a snowstorm. The chills of loneliness that had engulfed Ty Lee were chased away by the need for Azula, the need to be close to Azula, to protect Azula, to kiss Azula until the ground and sky gave way and it was just them -- together. Inseparable. 

The thrills of the circus couldn't stand a chance to this. To feeling Azula nip playfully at Ty Lee's bottom lip, to feel Azula's tongue enter her mouth and take total control. 

When the kiss finally ended, Ty Lee was left panting like a bitch in heat. Her lips were red due to Azula's lipstick and what had just transpired. 

"I missed that." 

Ty Lee smiled lazily at the words. 

"Me too." 

Azula leaned down once more, placing a small kiss to the corner of Ty Lee's mouth. Then another on Ty Lee's cheek. 

"Never leave me again." 

It was a command. There was no room for compromise, for negotiation. 

~~Ty Lee loved obeying Azula.~~

"Of course, Azula." 


	3. Blue string (knotting, knotting, burn.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula POV for this chapter. 
> 
> NSFW warning ahead -- Sex scene. Not too graphic I think ?? Eh. 
> 
> Azula is starting to go batty in this chapter. If I'm crying, you're crying. Do you understand me?

The grounds hadn't looked this bad the last time she had come here. 

Weeds stuck out in odd areas on the grounds that were meant to be used as a sort of "Royalty and Co." walkway. 

It wasn't right. It was imperfect, causing a slight agitation that only seemed to grow the more she looked at it. 

It didn't help that the turtle ducks were still here. The servants could toss bread and other morsels to the creatures, but they couldn't keep up on the simple task of cleaning the grounds of a few overgrown flora? 

It was almost unbearable, the idiots she had to deal with. 

Azula rubbed at the bridge of her nose, the nails on her thumb and index finger digging into her skin with enough pressure to cause temporary crescents. She could only manage a scowl at the added inconvenience. 

Letting her hand drop and slide behind her back, where upon she hooked it loosely in her other hand that was in a similar position, Azula would step out and onto the seemingly forgotten dirt walkway. 

The Fire Nation princess walked with her head down, confident that even the imbeciles her father called "guards" would at least provide a sufficient warning whilst getting their asses handed to them by some would-be intruder. Azula would handle it from there, positive rather than confident that such a trivial enemy wouldn't stand a chance against her. 

Azula let out a quiet scoff. Even when she was supposed to be at peace, she planned for the unexpected. 

Peace. 

That's why she had searched this place out. 

But what good would peace provide? 

Azula had no need for peace. A war was going on outside the walls, a war she had actively participated in. Peace was for immature fools. Or mindless zombies, better used as throwaways or generous providers for the Fire Nation army. 

Azula was neither of these things. Azula was a princess. 

Azula was a conqueror. 

Azula was troubled. 

While getting lost in her thoughts, a nuisance of a habit that she had picked up recently, Azula had wandered right into her old private sanctuary. 

Maybe...

Not just hers. 

She owned this place, this safe space, with Ty Lee in another time. 

When they were happier, more alive with childhood wonder and something akin to innocence. 

When they were curious. 

When Azula was a lovesick fool. 

_Azula had just completed one of her many fire bending practice forms. Her flames had only recently undergone a coloration change, growing vibrant with life and ferocity like never before._

_She was hungry to show off. Always searching for attention, always craving more. That was Azula. But she would never admit to such benign wants. They were rather unbecoming, tenfold so when mentioned aloud._

_Ty Lee gasped at the appropriate moments, even went as far as to "oh" and "ah". The obvious admiration seemed like overkill, but it only fueled Azula onward, only dogged after the princess to soar higher and burn brighter._

_So she did. Azula burned and she soared, she flipped and she kicked, she spun on her heel and went through every move she knew. Twice. Just to hear Ty Lee admire her. Just her. Always her._

_Azula ended her performance with a smile, letting the final flame die out on her hand with little more than a protesting flicker. She was smart. Emotions made the flames hungrier, harder to tame. Azula had learned this earlier on, when she first performed in front of Ty Lee._

_That show was particularly embarrassing, ending with Azula on the ground and Ty Lee trying desperately to smack out the fire from Azula's pants._

_Ty Lee clapped, snapping Azula out of the memory. The princess turned her attention back onto her friend, letting a smile cross her lips._

_"That was amazing, 'Zula!" Ty Lee exclaimed, ceasing her clapping only when Azula gave an indicating nod. "You've gotten so good."_

_Azula tilted her head, her left eyebrow raising and her smile quickly being wiped away with a firm frown._

_"Are you saying that I wasn't good before?" She asked, her golden eyes giving nothing away but cold calculation. Even so young, she knew the power of intimidation over others._

_Ty Lee quickly submitted, her cheeks growing a lovely shade of red almost instantly._

_"I- Never, Azula! You're a fire bending prodigy, a legend in the making. You were born good!"_

_Azula relaxed her features. She took a seat next to Ty Lee under their favorite tree._

_"An excellent recovery. See that you mind your words more carefully in the future, Ty Lee."_

_Ty Lee bowed her head, mumbling, "Of course, Azula."_

_If Azula liked the way Ty Lee sounded,_

_If she liked the way Ty Lee looked,_

_If Ty Lee could make Azula's heart yearn and ache and melt,_

_then that was her business. And not a soul would know._

_Azula placed her still warm palm over the back of Ty Lee's hand. The other girl brightened considerably at the gesture, resuming her bubbly nature as if nothing had ever disrupted it at all._

_Ty Lee began to prattle on with her compliments._

_Azula knotted their string together while Ty Lee was distracted._

_They would have to spend some extra time together unknotting it, of course, but that was just how it was._

_And only Azula would ever know about what really caused the prolonged interaction at the end of every secretive hangout._

_That was her business. Only hers. Just like Ty Lee._

Azula reached out, letting her fingers run against the twisted and gnarled bark of her childhood tree. She was surprised at the lack of sticky syrup on her fingertips upon pulling her hand away. A pleasant surprise, then.

Azula had lost her first kiss under this tree. 

Losing things wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling for Azula.

But some things were worth losing when it came to Ty Lee. 

Maybe she had lost too many things because of Ty Lee. 

_The stars shimmered and twinkled against the night sky, casting a pleasant haze of dreamlike fantasy over the cesspool of treachery and deceit that was Ba Sing Se._

_Azula had conquered this city. She had dominated Long Feng, had enthralled the Dai Li, and had truly made a mark on history._

_What had it taken? A day? Two? Truly, it was almost laughable that her uncle had failed in capturing this place._

_"Azula?"_

_A familiar voice was calling for her. Turning her attention away from the window, Azula would instead walk towards the general location of the voice._

_She followed her string, glancing down at it from time to time. Turning a corner, Azula would see her._

_Ty Lee._

_She was wrapped in an incredibly oversized regal robe of some sort. She had obviously stolen it from some wardrobe or another in the palace. The robe itself was a grayish-green color, resembling swamp hut mold rather than some incredibly expensive silk or imported cloth. It was made for someone twice the size of Ty Lee, which begged the question of why Ty Lee had gone through with wearing the robe at all._

_Azula guessed it was originally for some game or another that Ty Lee had performed in front of Mai._

_"I'm here, Ty Lee." Azula called out, startling the acrobat. "What are you doing up so late?"_

_"I couldn't sleep." Ty Lee began._

_"Well, I could, but I kept waking up. I think it's too cold in this palace. And the blankets are so darn scratchy!"_

_Azula just barely managed to contain a chuckle at the excuses. Turning on her heel, she would throw up her hand and halfheartedly beckon for Ty Lee to follow. The acrobat obeyed the command wordlessly._

_They accompanied each other back to Azula's room. It was a short journey, but managed to pile up a good bit of anxiousness and curiosity in Ty Lee. The former circus performer rocked nervously on her feet, a thousand and one questions growing restless in her mind._

_"You can take off the robe. We'll be sleeping together."_

_It was more of a command rather than a suggestion placed out of good faith. Ty Lee listened, albeit her actions were a bit delayed. Her fingers moved slower, almost fighting with the robe in an attempt to take it off._

_Azula waited, watching._

_Finally, when the robe was able to be slipped out of, Ty Lee would do just that. The acrobat allowed the oversized robe to fall off her body and onto the ground._

_Ty Lee was wearing nothing underneath._

_The acrobat was toned with powerful muscle, especially in her thighs and calves. She held a small amount of chub on her stomach and hips, but nothing overly noticable or surprising. Ty Lee liked sweets, so it was only logical that the delicious treats would take their toll somewhere. Was it even right to call it a toll?_

_Azula licked her lips, finding her mouth to be suddenly dry. She gestured for Ty Lee to come closer._

_Ty Lee crossed the distance, stopping only once she was close enough to wrap her arms around Azula, which she did when the princess nodded her approval. Her arms draped comfortably around Azula's waist, holding the Fire Nation princess close._

_Azula felt fragile when Ty Lee was holding her. She was a child again, weak and afraid, excited but terrified of what the waiting world had in store for her. There was danger in this world she lived in, in the life she carved out for herself with grit and undying determination to see the job done. But she felt safe with Ty Lee._

_Like they were under the tree again._

_Like they were alone._

_Like they could do anything, they just needed each other._

_Reaching up, Azula would tentatively place her hand openly against Ty Lee's cheek. The taller acrobat's breath caught for a moment, but eventually resumed after a brief time._

_Azula traced her thumb against the soft skin of Ty Lee's cheek, relishing in the act of touching and being touched in return. It was everything she craved, everything she ever would crave._

_To have this taken away would be like being given the death penalty. Or failing her father._

_Same thing, really._

_"You take great care of your skin." Azula could hear herself say, her voice soft and almost distant to her own ears._

_Ty Lee only laughed in response, a bright and wonderful smile forming on her lips._

_"And your smile," Azula paused her thumb stroking to stare up at Ty Lee. Perhaps Azula would never have perfection. Perhaps Ty Lee had taken it all, hiding it away in her smile and laugh and...her. Just her._

_"You could blind a Fire Nation soldier with that smile, causing him to misstep and become gravely injured during battle. Because- Because it's so bright."_

_"You're so weird, Azula." Ty Lee said with affection._

_Azula's heart stammered inside her chest._

_"Ty Lee," Azula closed her eyes and pushed her body ever closer to Ty Lee's. Her action was greeted with a light squeeze of approval from the acrobat. "I command you to kiss your princess."_

_Ty Lee was good at obeying. Leaning down, Ty Lee would press her lips against Azula's, brushing their lips together with a delicate touch that only ever came into Azula's life thanks to the acrobat. It was a guilty pleasure, this softness given out only when they were alone together. Azula had grown addicted._

_Azula kissed back, the hand on Ty Lee's cheek sliding around to the back of the performer's neck._

_Ty Lee tasted like strawberry tarts and fire flakes. A terrible mixture -- if it were coming from anyone else, that is. Ty Lee made it work in such wonderful ways._

_Pressing her other hand against Ty Lee's shoulder, Azula would lead the acrobat to her bed._

"Oh, wow. We haven't been here in years."

Azula turned, brandishing a ball of blue flame in both hands as she entered a defensive combat stance. It was reflex more than anything, muscle memory caused by years of intensive training. 

Ty Lee held up her hands in surrender, minding to stay in place until Azula extinguished the flames. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't expecting company, that's all." Azula cut her off. 

Ty Lee took a hesitant step closer. She stood beside Azula now. 

"Do you," Ty Lee started, her voice just above a whisper. "Do you remember when we first came here?" 

"I do." Azula responded, letting her muscles relax and her hands wring out by her sides. 

"You kissed me."

Azula glanced over at her friend. Was it more appropriate to call Ty Lee her lover? She did not know, nor did she particularly find herself caring. Ty Lee was Ty Lee. Ty Lee was Azula's. 

"I did." 

There was a pregnant pause before Ty Lee continued. 

"We kissed a lot under this tree."

"We were kids. It was harmless experimentation."

"Is that what you call it, Azula?" 

Azula remained silent. 

"I don't- I don't think kids do what we do."

"We were good friends. We had a strong connection." Azula broke her silence. 

She could feel Ty Lee staring at her now. It made her skin itch. She returned the look with neutral aloofness. 

"Do friends touch each other like we do?"

_Azula's finger pressed inwards, entering Ty Lee with a rather crude sound. Ty Lee gasped at the penetration, her hips beginning to rise before being forcibly pushed back down by Azula's other hand._

_"Move it. You can- You can move it."_

_Azula smirked at the way Ty Lee's voice quivered, how her basic primal needs caused the acrobat to demand something from the Fire Nation princess before correcting herself._

_Feeling particularly merciful, Azula would let the words go without causing a fuss. Instead, Azula would work her digit out of Ty Lee, only to push it back in._

_She repeated the cycle of penetration before Ty Lee let out a small groan._

_"Azula, please. Faster."_

_Azula's eyes twinkled with mirth at the words. She picked up speed, her finger pushing in and out of Ty Lee's opening with an almost brutal vigor._

_Suddenly, as if finding herself bored with just using one, Azula would add in another digit. She didn't care to stop her penetration for the surprise addition._

_Ty Lee didn't seem to mind, though. The acrobat was clinging to Azula's bedsheets, letting out incredibly lewd moans and gasps._

_If Azula were a different woman, she would have blushed at the sounds Ty Lee was making._

_But she could only feel an animalistic version of pride. She was causing Ty Lee to make those noises. She was giving Ty Lee this pleasure._

_Working her fingers even faster, Azula would lean down, swiping her tongue against Ty Lee's exposed neck._

_The acrobat gave a particularly pleased noise at the attention, tilting her head off to the side so Azula could have better access._

_"You're mine, Ty Lee." The words came through gritted teeth, a snarl rising out of her._

_"Yes, Agni, yes- Azula, I'm yours! All yours. Please, just don't stop."_

_"Then you'll prove it by wearing my mark!"_

_Azula couldn't control herself._

_With an air of finality, Azula would bite down on Ty Lee's neck. Her teeth dug into the sensitive skin, applying enough pressure to leave an ugly bruise for all to see._

_Ty Lee screamed out, her vaginal walls fluttering before clamping down tightly on Azula's fingers._

Azula shook her head, her eyebrows knitting together.

"No, I suppose they don't." She finally answered. 

Ty Lee bounced on her heels. A nervous tick. 

"Then," Ty Lee stopped her bouncing. The acrobat let out a small breath of air, relaxing her nerves. "What are we?"

"I don't know." 

"And what about the string?"

Azula almost hissed.

"I don't know." She repeated. 

"Doesn't that bother you?"

Azula turned her body, facing Ty Lee head on. She took a step closer to the taller acrobat, her golden eyes gleaming with dangerous, borderline unhinged ferocity. 

"Of course it bothers me, Ty Lee. But being bothered doesn't fix things or answer questions, so why not drop it?"

Ty Lee's bottom lip quivered, as if she were about to cry. Ty Lee turned her head away. 

"I need to know what we are. I don't-"

Ty Lee paused, wiping at her eyes carefully. So she was crying. 

"-I don't want to assume something and then get hurt."

_They were resting now. The night was coming to a close after..._

_Hours of activity._

_Ty Lee had her head against Azula's chest, her eyes shut tightly as she slept._

_Azula was propped up against her pillows, her hand in Ty Lee's hair. She ran her fingers carefully through, minding not to entangle her digits or knot up any areas with her affections._

_Sleep never came easy for the princess._

_"Ty Lee,"_

_Azula began, even though she knew the acrobat was asleep and unable to hear a word she said._

_"I think I love you."_

_Ty Lee gave a soft snore in response to the confession._

_"Ty Lee,"_

_Azula started again. She let out a heavy sigh, letting her eyes roam over her sleeping companion._

_"I ask you-"_

_She cut herself off with a displeased frown._

_"I command you to love me back."_

_Azula scoffed at herself. The noise caused Ty Lee's body to give a small twitch._

_"I know. I'm entirely too selfish. But what would you expect from a girl who has everything?"_

_Azula closed her eyes._

_"Everything except you. All of you. I hope you say it back to me. I demand you to."_

"What could you possibly assume?"

"That we're more than what you let on!"

Ty Lee took a step back, her watery eyes wide with shock. Azula sneered at the outburst, stepping forward to replace the small distance Ty Lee had created. 

"You've overstepped, Ty Lee."

"I- No, wait. Azula, please, wait-"

"Enough!" Azula roared, the corners of her mouth beginning to smoke. "Leave me. Now!"

Ty Lee could only manage a broken sob before sprinting away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said "1 more chapter, 1 more chapter" but I thought that having only 3 chapters would make this one especially long??
> 
> So you get 4 chapters. The final chapter is being worked on rn. 
> 
> Final chapter will be done in Azula's pov, that way things are even between Ty Lee and Azula. I hope I made the difference in character obvious enough with how I wrote this chapter compared to the previous ones. 
> 
> Thanks for the support guys. Your comments are hella rad to read and I try to respond to them asap. <3


	4. Of straight jackets and new beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula POV. 
> 
> I am a bastard woman for writing this and I am so very, very sorry for the pain I am about to cause.

The cell was dark. Impossibly dark for unaccustomed eyes, but the unfamiliar eyes that did enter the cell never stayed long enough to grow used to the darkness. It was both a blessing and a curse for the disgraced princess, as company was few and far between. Nurses would enter at least once every other month, providing medications that Azula would rarely take. She didn't see the point in swallowing the chalky pills anymore, they never did much anyway. They were nothing but a firm reminder that she wasn't perfect. Her mind was fractured, unworthy of bending her trademark blue flames, much less of sitting upon the throne she would have killed for. 

She had come close to killing- 

No. It was better not to think about them. 

_Quick jabs, a blur of color and flesh, aimed to block her chi. A betrayal, unexpected. Salt to the wound. Was Mai not enough? The universe had flipped on her, taking Ty Lee as well._

_Why Ty Lee? It was never meant to be her._

_Unheard confessions blasting through her mind, roaring in her ears alongside the adrenaline that came with bending lightning. Then she was on the ground. Dirt in her mouth, on her clothes and on her face. A stinging sensation that was sure to make her arms and legs sore, caused by hitting the ground without hesitation. The string around her finger lands in front of her gaze, bunched up and knotting itself with impossible ease._

_Ty Lee was with Mai in an instant, pushing and begging for Mai to run._

_Then soldiers._

_An order to never see them again._

_There was regret buried underneath her hate._

Azula slammed her head against the stony wall of the cell, letting out a roar of frustration. Her eyes unfocused from the force, leaving her near blind for a brief time. 

She kept her forehead against the cool stone, her breaths coming out ragged and uneven due to her impromptu episode of rage. There was something sticky sliding down her temple and cheek. Blood. 

"Don't think about her, never her," Azula muttered to herself, blinking away the blur in her peripheral vision. 

**"Why not me, 'Zula?"**

A familiar voice. Azula gasped upon hearing it, her eyes widening and her mouth hanging open in shock. She had never turned around so fast, not even when training for her once perfect firebending forms. 

And there she was. Ty Lee. She was blurred around the edges, fuzzy, as if she wasn't entirely there. She wore her circus outfit, the colors somehow brighter and more vibrant with life. She stood a few feet away from Azula, on the other side of the cell, smiling in the way Azula remembered. Crinkled eyes and flashing teeth. Such a welcoming thing for something so small, inviting Azula into temptation to forgo things like perfection and idle worries. Sometimes she did. 

_A kiss under a twisted tree. Safe here, pleasant and sweet in ways that only Ty Lee could ever provide. They held each other. What seemed like hours of physical comfort was merely seconds, maybe a minute at most._

_The call of something lovelier than Azula could ever dream of. Happiness with this girl, a new beginning, something grand and so much more than Azula alone. Fantasies of a new life together, of ruling a nation and being betrothed._

_Practicing for her. Holding her hand. Hugging her. Kissing her._

_Ty Lee._

_All she ever wanted was Ty Lee._

"You aren't real." 

Her voice shook with unnamed emotion. Was it anger? A bitter anger that Ty Lee wasn't really here, that she wouldn't be coming? Perhaps she had forgotten about Azula by now. Time was hard to comprehend in the darkness, even more so when Azula was constantly bombarded by unwanted memories and hallucinations. She was losing herself- that is, if she wasn't already gone by now. The thought scared her. But nonetheless, time hadn't stilled or slowed for her. Ty Lee hadn't come. She wouldn't be coming. Azula was sure of it. 

"I don't want you here, don't want you making me believe in things that can't possibly be true." 

Ty Lee- or, the image of Ty Lee- shifted on the balls of her feet, her smile quickly fading in favor of a saddened frown. Her grey eyes stared down Azula from across the cell. She looked close to tears, Azula noted bitterly.

**"You're pushing me away again? Azula, please."**

_The same tree. Standing, touching. A thousand and one memories. Another presence. Surprised, ready to strike._

_Ty Lee._

_Flames guttering out. Mind already in turmoil, don't want Ty Lee there. Afraid to lash out, too late._

_"Azula, please, wait-"_

_Sounds so broken. Hurts._

_A life together. Impossible._

_Cursing the red string._

_"Leave me. Now!"_

_Ty Lee runs._

_Azula contemplates burning the string around her finger._

_Would it hurt Ty Lee less to love someone else?_

_Selfish. Greedy._

_She keeps the string, but doesn't sleep that night._

_The first night of many._

Azula bared her teeth savagely at the fake Ty Lee, wanting desperately to create flames and burn the hallucination on the spot. She manages a spark of life in her palm, a flicker of light in the darkness, before growing overwhelmed and losing it. 

**"Oh, Azula,"** The hallucination takes a step closer, reaching out towards the princess. Azula pressed her back against the wall of the cell, refusing to look away from this mental impostor. **"What happened to your flames? They were such a pretty shade of blue. You were so good at using them. When you lost the throne, did you lose them, too?"**

"I didn't lose anything." 

She was lying to herself. They both knew it. 

**"You lost me."**

Azula's vision blurred with tears. Letting out a fierce scream, she pushed herself away from the wall and threw herself wildly at the hallucination, hoping desperately for her fist to connect with something solid and banish it to whatever dark part of her mind it had come from. 

Instead, she landed on the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs from the force. Even in the darkness, Azula can see the red string around her finger bunch up from the effort. 

For the second time, Azula was reminded of the day she lost Ty Lee. 

* * *

Azula was seated on her cot when the door to her cell was opened. Shielding her eyes from the light with her arm, the disgraced princess would scowl and turn away. 

When the light finally became bearable, only then would Azula lower her arm and look towards whoever had entered. A guard dressed in standard Fire Nation armor stood before her. He was a young man, making up for his age with a deadly seriousness that all new recruits seemed to possess. They thought it made them look more respectable, maybe even intimidating. Tough chance. If Azula could find it in herself to care enough, she would have laughed. 

She couldn't rightly recall the last time she laughed freely. A vision of Ty Lee laughing with her flashed inside her mind, but it went by far too quickly for Azula to take in serious detail. It didn't matter. Those memories, or flashes, didn't matter. 

"Princess Azula-" He started.

"-You have a lot of nerve calling me by a title that carries no weight. Tell me, has the Fire Nation started recruiting brainless mongrels, or do you simply have a death wish?" Azula interrupted him. 

The young man opened and closed his mouth several times, as if trying to speak but finding nothing. He looked more like a fish out of water than a soldier. Azula thought the display to be pathetic, giving a scoff of disdain and a roll of her eyes to show just that. It was sure to rub against his ego later, if not now. 

Finally finding his words, the young man would try again. 

"Prisoner," He tried, his chest puffing out and his hand flexing near the handle of his sheathed sword. "You have a visitor." 

"Impossible. Zuko made it quite clear that he thought of me as a lost cause the last time he came to visit, Uncle has a tea shop to run in the Earth Kingdom, and I have no friends to speak of."

Standing from her place on the cot, Azula would let out a yawn. She was growing bored of this interaction, wanting to be left alone. Even if her thoughts would turn sour and bring about another hallucination, be it her father, mother, or even Ty Lee, Azula had grown used to them and found them to be more comforting than this presumptuous boy. Even they understood the limitations to things, to her time and energy. 

"No friends, eh? Then consider this an eager stranger. You're coming with me." 

Azula tilted her head, eyeing him up and down. He looked uncomfortable, his hand inching ever closer to the blade at his hip. Azula let out a sigh of annoyance. 

"Very well. Do be careful with the straight jacket, oh yes, I know you have one. Make one false move, treat me poorly like some colonial peasant while slipping on that damned thing, and that blade will be pressed against your throat faster than the annihilation of the Air Nomads." 

* * *

They went down several long corridors, taking many twists and turns along the way, passing by dozens of doors, before they finally reached an opening. The opening, of course, lead to a rather small room. The room was scarcely decorated, having only a few Fire Nation flags and other paraphernalia hanging on the walls. In the center of the room was a wooden table with two chairs. Both chairs were already pulled out, as if waiting for Azula and her mystery companion to enter and make themselves comfortable. 

A guard was stationed at the door Azula and the recruit entered from. As far as Azula could tell, they were the only ones in the room. 

Releasing Azula, the recruit would take up station next to the guard, blocking the only exit to the room. 

Azula made her way over to the wooden table in the middle of the room. Once close enough, she would take a seat in one of the chairs, making herself as comfortable as she could while confined inside the straight jacket - it rubbed her arms the wrong way with every movement, giving them a dull ache that promised future soreness. 

"I thought you said I had a visitor." Azula muttered just loud enough for the guards to hear. 

The recruit bristled at the comment, but managed to keep his tone relatively neutral. Perhaps the guardsman standing next to him was a superior, someone who could take notes on his behavior and get him punished for the slightest insubordination. The possibility alone was almost enough to make Azula grin. She could do well with this information, test his limits and make him regret it. That is, if she had the energy for such acts. 

So far, she did not. The only reason she had come at all was purely based on curiosity. 

"You do. She will be here in a moment, just has to finish signing some papers." The other guardsman answered. 

"Still a stickler for rules. Really, the Fire Nation hasn't changed much since my incarceration." Azula commented to herself. 

Sparked on the topic of the Fire Nation, Azula moved to open her mouth to speak once more, only to close it upon the sound of footsteps drawing closer. Moving her gaze over to the guarded door, Azula would wait to see if said footsteps belonged to her supposed visitor. She wouldn't have to wait long. 

A woman, tall and dressed in the style of a Kyoshi Warrior, stepped past the guards and into the room. She didn't stop walking, instead pushing further until she neared the table. She sat down opposite Azula, her posture straight as a board. 

Azula peered at the woman with curious eyes, her gaze scrutinizing. Something about her was familiar, very familiar, but Azula couldn't quite name what exactly it was. Making a noise of disappointment at her rusted observational skills, Azula would once more sit back in her chair. She kept her eyes firmly planted on the mystery woman. 

They stared at one another in silence for what seemed like forever. 

Finally, the woman spoke. 

"I'm sure this comes as a surprise to you. I mean, I didn't even write to you, not that the prison would allow such a thing to happen. Y'know, fear of further treachery and all that." 

That voice...

_Grey eyes. A welcoming smile. Bouncing braid. A stolen uniform._

_They were at Ba Sing Se._

_Twinkling stars. A robe that was too big, couldn't sleep. Discarded mere moments later._

_Bunched up sheets. Gasp, moan, moan, scream._

_Unheard confession._

_Didn't talk about it the morning after._

_A repeated activity._

_Another confession after every night spent together._

_Another confession left unheard._

_Thoughts of what could be, like they were children under that tree again._

_Thoughts that she only ever shared when Ty Lee couldn't hear._

"You," Azula stood up so fast from her chair that she sent it flying backwards. It landed with a crash against the wall, breaking apart like the poorly constructed log of wood it was. Ty Lee gestured for the guards to stay where they were, not rising from her spot at the table. "You! How dare you!"

"Azula, please. I need you to-" Ty Lee tried. 

"How dare you!" Azula repeated. She could feel her cheeks turning red from the anger, from the frustration and the rage. The corners of her mouth began to pour out smoke, but Azula knew that no fire would come. Ty Lee remained calm, only further adding to Azula's anger. "You come in here- You come in here after Agni knows how long, expecting ME to listen to YOU?" 

"Yes, I know how horrible it looks, but if you could just-" Ty Lee tried again, her voice louder this time.

"Have you come looking for pity? Look at you, dressed to the nines in the uniform of a group we disposed of without so much as breaking a sweat! Have you any idea what you've done to me? What you put me through?" Azula blinked back her tears, refusing to cry in front of Ty Lee. She might have a broken mind, might not be the symbol of perfection that she once was, but she would be damned if she had Ty Lee see her cry. 

"What I put YOU through?" Ty Lee finally snapped, joining Azula in standing up. Her hands shook as she gripped the table, her grey eyes hard as she stared down the former Fire Nation princess, as she stared down her former lover and best friend. "Have you any idea the kind of trauma you caused me? I sacrificed so much to make you happy-" 

"And you threw it all away, too! For what? That depressing, knife-carrying slut?" Azula countered. She produced a faint spark of life from her mouth, much like the one she conjured up whilst alone in her cell with the hallucination of Ty Lee, but it blew away just as quickly as the smoke pouring from the corners of her mouth. 

"You would've killed her." Ty Lee seethed through gritted teeth. She was trying to control herself, trying to remain calm. It was taking a great effort. 

Ty Lee always was emotional. 

_Always tripping to compliment Azula._

_Always tugging and pulling on the string that connected them._

_Always the first to laugh at Azula's jokes, no matter how bad they were._

_Always the first to pop into Azula's mind._

_Always the first one Azula went to._

_Always Ty Lee._

_Azula wouldn't have anyone else._

_If the world took Ty Lee away, Azula promised that she would make it burn._

_But instead she burned herself._

"And what of it? I would've killed anyone to keep you safe! She betrayed us, let Zuko and the Avatar escape! Don't you see the dangers in what she did?" Azula struggled in vain against the straight jacket. She wanted to lash out with her arms, wanted to snap the table between her and Ty Lee in half. When her sanity fled her, did it take her strength as well? 

"Listen to yourself, Azula! The Avatar, Aang, he needed to escape. Ozai needed to be brought down. The future he intended, the future he had planned, was nothing short of destructive and cruel. And Mai loved Zuko, of course she would let him escape. She was doing what needed to be done for him, something that you or I would've done if placed in the same boat." Ty Lee pushed herself away from the table, taking a cautious step towards Azula. Azula stood her ground, her golden eyes narrowed in distrust. 

"Please, listen to me. Just for a moment," The hardness in Ty Lee's eyes shifted, presenting an inner vulnerability, presenting sadness. Azula's chest tightened at the sight, surely caused by the straight jacket that encased her rather than her own unhinged emotions. "I didn't come here to fight. I came here because I missed you and wanted to reconnect. Life without you is hard, beyond hard, and I'm tired of pretending that it's not. So, can we please stop fighting and just talk?" 

Azula turned her head to the side, silent as she thought about her answer. Finally, she gave a nod. 

"Thank you. Here, let me get your chair." 

Ty Lee moved closer to Azula, stopping briefly once she reached Azula's side. At this distance, if her arms weren't bound, Azula could reach out and touch Ty Lee. Oh, how she wished she could touch Ty Lee. 

"I-" Ty Lee began, only to stop herself. She looked down at the floor, her eyebrows scrunched together and the corners of her mouth downturned. 

"-I want to, too." Azula finished for her. She sounded soft, even to her own ears. But the words were enough. 

Ty Lee made her way past Azula, stopping only a few inches a way. 

"Ah, that's a shame. Guards? Azula needs a new chair, please." Azula could ear Ty Lee speak from behind her. 

The recruit from earlier took a cautious step forward. 

"But what of the prisoner? Lee- I mean, the other guard- is going on break soon. You'll be left alone with her if I go get another chair." He said, his voice and body language uneasy. 

"Oh, that's really not a problem. I protect the Fire Lord, remember? I'm tough and armed." Azula could hear the sound of something being produced, as it cut through the still wind just loud enough to make noise. A hidden fanblade? The Kyoshi Warriors were known for those, so it wasn't a completely bewildering assumption. 

"Very well." The recruit bowed his head before leaving the room. Sure enough, the other guardsmen followed after just a moment later. 

Ty Lee and Azula were alone now. 

Turning around, Azula would face Ty Lee once more. She moved closer to Ty Lee, closing the small distance between them. 

"Ty Lee," She began. "I command you to kiss me." 

"Of course, Azula." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending for this chapter is dedicated to the voting poll in the comments of the chapter before. While I initially was going to end this on a sad note, I instead left it open for new beginnings between Ty Lee and Azula. I believe that is the most realistic happy ending between them, at least for now, but I don't know. While the voting poll was not something that I stated directly, I didn't even really plan it, the comment thread in the chapter before made me laugh and I thought it would be a pleasant surprise to mention it to those users. While their names slip me right now, I'll make sure to personally thank them if they decide to comment on this chapter! 
> 
> I plan on making more fanfictions in the future. This was a really fun experience and it gave me some much needed practice in my writing abilities! I also deeply appreciate all of the comments that were left in this fanfic, as they motivated me to continue writing and even eased some of my anxieties about the work. This was my first shot at fanfiction, and having such blatant support (comments, kudos, bookmarks, etc.) helped more than I can possibly begin to describe. Thank you. <3 I wasn't expecting such support, as I was originally a wattpad writer for a few years and didn't know if my writing style would be appreciated, but golly gee- you guys sure do know how to make a girl feel welcome. :') 
> 
> Thank you for everything. For supporting me and supporting the journey between Azula and Ty Lee. I hope to see you guys in the future with my other works. This was a serious blast to make, start to finish.


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